Adolfo Carrion's Favorite Architect

When Adolfo Carrion -- the now ex-Bronx beep whose interesting ideas of urban planning are now part of the Obama administration -- wanted to add a new deck to his attractive Victorian home on City Island, he knew just the architect for the job.

The Daily News team of Greg B. Smith and Robert Gearty report today that Carrion hired Hugo Subotovsky to handle the job. Subotovksy's work may have been familiar to Carrion because the architect was "part of a team seeking Carrión's approval of one of the biggest taxpayer-subsidized developments in the Bronx, Boricua Village."

Carrion refused to discuss the project's cost with the News. But buildings department records show the work was estimated at $32,000. This would have been a handsome fee for Carrion since he was a little behind the eight ball. "At the time," reports the News, "records show, Carrión had at least $15,000 in credit card
debt, was paying off two mortgages worth more than $500,000 and had
$5,000 in revolving credit from Chase bank."

The Boricua Village job sailied through city reviews, with Carrion's stamp of approval. Project developers, which included the ever-generous Atlantic Development Group, donated some $74,000 to Carrion's campaigns, the News notes.